Bittersweet Aftertaste
by E3-FantasyandReality
Summary: That night Kakashi finally realized why Tsunade enjoyed drinking sake so much. [One-shot]


_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto... _

**Bittersweet Aftertaste **

"You messed up pretty bad again, kid." Tsunade snorted in seeming indifference, raising her sake cup in mock salute towards her drinking companion. Her cheeks had darkened to a scarlet hue, courtesy of high alcohol consumption. Once again. Getting drunk to the point of forgetting even her name was a normal occurrence for the retired kunoichi, especially on nights when the moon seemed to taunt her with its silvery reflection. It reminded her too much of long, silken strands bearing the same iridescent shade. Tsunade despised the cursed sensations the full moon forced upon her – and _craved_ them. They were the only things remaining, never to fade.

"_I know_, but-" Kakashi shook his head in resignation, unable to voice his defense. The alcohol has already intoxicated his system, made his thoughts frazzled, incoherent. The hem of his mask clung onto the tip of his chin, exposing silver skin in public. His thin, pale lips curved slightly upwards and tugged a tiny smile tainted with self-disappointment. It had become a daily, begrudgingly normal, feeling for him lately. Self pity and alcohol was all that kept him sane after the disbandment of his team.

However in this certain circumstance, he couldn't afford to lose track of consciousness because, after all, he still had to make sure his Hokage would make it back home safe.

"Don't let it bother you too much, it's not like you can change the past – what's done is done." The blonde woman shrugged bitterly with a slight slur, not bothering to mince her words in her current drunken state.

_Is that what you keep telling yourself, Tsunade-sama?_ Kakashi leveled her with a knowing stare, his dark eye seeing through her weak façade, but chose to keep this thought to himself. His mind recalled a young hot-tempered woman who fought with an iron fist, but at the same wore a gentle smile, yet he could not recognize even the smallest glimmer of that woman in her now.

Life as a ninja has fully consumed her in the midst of war. Took her heart and soul, and left her to wander in the treacherous path of life _alone_.

"But it's not working for you, is it?" Kakashi involuntarily murmured under his breath before he took another sip from his sake cup.

Tsunade only lowly glared at her subordinate as if she heard what he had previously thought. She didn't dwell on it at the end, she only buried it with more alcohol.

The sweetness of sake ran through her lips and glided over the expanse of her tongue before it burned down her throat, the bittersweet taste poisoned, _sated_ her. It made her forget about Kakashi, her name, her troubles, her village, but not her lover... _never him_.

_"I like this side of you." A grin was etched on his lips, sharper than his usual grins, tempting, but nothing compared to that hue in his voice – roughness, thick with impulsion, how a man should speak a woman's name, and when he did –_

_"Tsunade." _

_She would feel something stir deep inside her potent with untamed raw want, and lust. "Dan–" Tsunade called, voice slightly breathy, pressing her palms against his toned chest in an attempt to put some distance between them. Much to her dismay, she found it quite hard to form coherent sentences when he was dominating her personal space like this._

_His reserved expression changed without the barest indication. Wildfire slithered within the shadows of his eyes and the huskiness of his voice, igniting the fires of lust under her feverish skin once more._

_"I'm sorry, but being in the middle of this war is making me lose my mind." _

_In a caring caress Tsunade merely nodded in approval. "If there's anything I can do to salvage your sanity," her lips came closer, teasing their close proximity. Whisky eyes glanced up to stare at his darkened emerald eyes. "I'll do anything." _

_Dan peeled off his Jonin vest in pure haste then rammed Tsunade against the wall. He stared, so did she. "Thank you," _

_His lips crashed against hers with untamed ferocity – devouring, ravaging, claiming. Unlike any other time, the kiss was not spurred by gentle need but raw lust. A wanton sound escaped her throat when blunt teeth captured her lower lip, dragging across the succulent flesh slowly before something wet and rough plunged inside her mouth. Sleek tongues slithered against each other sinfully as eager bodies melded together._

Tsunade indulged in the taste of sake because it tasted somewhat like Dan from that night before his death. It harbored the tinge of sweetness melded together with bitterness that gave it an edge.

The fact that she was already an alcoholic before she _actually_ drank alcohol somewhat amused her. Dan was her sake, his taste was sweet at first but it would turn bitter during their moments of intimacy. The warmth of his body would burn through her own skin as he moved rhythmically against her, pushing, pulling, _pleasing_.

It had been a long time since Tsunade had kissed a man – had felt the compelling need to share intimacies with another. Yet as her lips sidled over his with tender urgency and her hands slid up his torso to entangle in his silver locks, she couldn't deny how much she had longed for the slow burn of another's skin against hers. Tsunade was vaguely aware of deft fingers grazing the curve of her waist and curling around her neck, holding her close.

The taste of his tongue, lips, were different. It had an intoxicating blend of sweetness and the tinge of sake which coated his tongue. He only lapped his tongue in sync with hers, he didn't try to dominate her nor put it to the test. He only obediently followed her silent orders through their kiss. It was obvious, he wasn't merely attracted to her, he only moved and abode her unsaid order.

His heady scent enveloped her drugged senses, causing a wave of rapture to course through her – jasmine and fire and male and _more_. Tsunade stilled above him, moments away from succumbing to the irresistible call of forbidden attraction, breath escaping her lungs in soft gasps and heartbeat pulsing in irregular patterns.

"Dan," she murmured softly, drawing closer again.

A warm gloved hand covered her mouth and a deadly lone eye coiled with blood red made direct contact with hers. "Forgive me, Tsunade-sama. But I cannot let it go farther than this."

The Hokage collapsed in his arms, her consciousness taken selfishly by the cruel act of his dojutsu. Kakashi sighed and cradled Tsunade, legs hooked on his arm with her face nestled deep in his chest.

"I am sorry but I'm not Dan." Kakashi began to walk one step at a time.

He stared down at her with empathy, eyes softening at the sight of such sweet tragedy.

That night he learned...

Why his Hokage enjoyed drinking so much.

It wasn't to forget, just the opposite.

She drank to remember the bittersweet aftertaste of love.


End file.
